


Freedom

by Light_Within_Darkness



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alpha Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Canonical Character Death, Ereri-centric, Eventual Smut, F/F, Female Hange Zoë, Gift Fic, Government Conspiracy, Government Experimentation, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Knotting, M/M, Mates, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mikasa Ackerman & Levi Are Siblings, Multi, Omega Eren, Rape/Non-con Elements, Self-Lubrication, Slow Build, Social Commentary, Threesome - F/M/M, What Was I Thinking?, Yaoi, Yuri, levi and mikasa are filthy stinkin' rich
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-05-31
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-01 12:02:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4019023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Light_Within_Darkness/pseuds/Light_Within_Darkness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a world where Alphas have all the power and Omegas are seen as little more than property, Omega Eren Jaeger is captured, separated from his best friend (practically his brother) Armin, and sold off at a slave auction. The Alpha who buys him, however, is none other than Levi Ackerman, reclusive billionaire Alpha and co-founder of the Wings of Freedom. The very same infamous Wings of Freedom organization that that seeks to rescue Omegas, and help them to find safe places to live and work.</p><p>Desperate to find Armin and help others like him, Eren joins the Wings of Freedom. He soon becomes tangled in a dangerous web of high society and politics, and discovers a secret that could change the very foundations of the world he lives in. And beyond all that, Eren cannot deny the strong attraction he feels towards the Alpha who rescued him, and is determined to uncover Levi's mysterious past.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KuroKitty (HaleYes)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaleYes/gifts).



> I've always had a soft spot for A/B/O fics, but I really got inspired to write one after reading the masterpiece "A Matter of Perspective" by the brilliant HaleYes. It is everything I have ever wanted in an A/B/O fic AND MORE. Seriously, if you haven't read it, go do so right now: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3330047/chapters/7280663
> 
> So this is a surprise gift for HaleYes in order to let him know how much I appreciate his writing, and to thank him for inspiring me to write something as well. (surprise!)
> 
> There is not any explicit rape/non-con in this fic, but I've tagged for it anyway because there is an undercurrent of rape/non-con in here, and a lot of strong hints that it is going on.

It was a sunny, warm morning in early Spring, golden sunlight spilling in through the curtains of every window and bathing the spacious Ackerman mansion in a warm glow. It was the kind of day that made you just want to laze around on a hammock underneath a shady tree with a tall glass of cold lemonade, and enjoy the fact that winter was finally over. Yet Levi Ackerman couldn't afford to be lazy right now. He was too busy sitting in front of his bureau and putting colored contacts in, in preparation for a rescue mission. 

He could see his younger sister Mikasa in the mirror's reflection, frowning at him from her perch on the edge of his bed. "If you need to take a shit, go to the bathroom already," he said, while trying to line the contact on the tip of his finger up with the center of his eye.

"Oh, very funny," Mikasa rolled her eyes at him. "You're a regular comedian, Levi." She sighed and got up from the bed, then walked over to Levi's side and deftly plucked the contact from his fingertip. "Let me do it, you're hopeless with contacts. You'll only end up poking yourself in the eye."

"Your hands are dirty," Levi grumbled, but Mikasa only sighed and washed the contact out with a bit more cleaning solution to placate him. Levi turned in his seat to face her anyway, obligingly tilting his head up to give Mikasa better access. Like it or not, she did have a point. Levi was not a clumsy man by any stretch of the imagination, and yet he couldn't do something as easy as putting a contact lens in without hurting himself. Go figure.

"You know, you don't have to be the one who goes out every time we get news of an Omega auction," Mikasa murmured, as she gently put the contact into place. "You could let me go for a change. Or Hanji, or anyone on your squad, or hell, even Erwin..."

Levi blinked a few times, felt no discomfort, and nodded slightly to let his sister know that she could put the next contact in. "I'm the one who knows the Underworld best, Mikasa," he replied. "I can get in, find the Omegas, and get out quickly. You know I blend in there better than anyone else."

"I think I know the Underworld pretty well too, you know," Mikasa said dryly. "On account of the fact that I _lived_ there with you. Or don't you remember?" She rinsed off the other contact with the solution, and Levi felt only the barest touch of her finger as she placed it on his eye. 

"I remember too damn well, and you know it," Levi muttered. "Besides, I'm not going alone. Gunther's driving."

"Yes, but he gets to wait in the car behind tinted windows. He's not the one going in there, and he's not the one whose putting himself in danger of getting recognized. You and I both know that there are plenty of thieves and snitches in the Underworld who would sell their souls to know who you are so they could rat you out to someone important and get rich."

Levi smirked slightly as he pulled a plain blue cap over his short black hair. "Well, I'd be pretty pissed off too, if I was an Alpha who had a stake in the Omega slave trade. The Wings of Freedom have disrupted the Underworld slave auctions pretty damn good. Before long, all those rich Alpha fucks won't have anyone to wipe their asses for them."

"Newsflash, Levi - we're rich Alpha fucks too, now." Mikasa carefully pinned something that looked like a tiny black button to the collar of Levi's long-sleeved gray shirt. In reality it was a miniature high-tech camera, perfect for capturing footage of whatever Underworld slave trade Levi had the "pleasure" of visiting today. It was always useful to know who attended these sorts of things, and which criminals were selling off kidnapped Omegas.

"Yeah, but at least we can wipe our own asses," Levi retorted, causing Mikasa to roll her eyes yet again. She worried at Levi's shirt, smoothing the fabric and picking at invisible pieces of lint. It was a nervous habit that she'd never quite outgrown. Levi took her hands in both of his. "Relax, OK? I'll be _fine_. Nothing's ever come up at these things that I can't handle."

Mikasa huffed. "Next time we hear about an auction, I'm going. You can drive."

"Alright, alright," Levi released Mikasa and held his hands up. "Next time. Now go and join Hanji in the computer room. You two can track my every move and let Gunther know what the best routes are to take to and from the auction, as usual. Hell, it's like the two of you are right there with me anyway. Two nagging little birds on my shoulders." Levi tapped at the tiny GPS that was clipped to the edge of his ear, which allowed his movements to be tracked back at home. It functioned as a communicator too, but Levi almost never used it as one. It would attract attention if it looked like he was wandering around the Underworld muttering to himself, after all.

"You love me," Mikasa smirked as she headed out of the room. "I'll have Sasha make sure the guest wing's all set up for the Omegas when you get back."

Levi grunted an affirmation before leaving his room and going down the small staircase that led out the mansion's back door. There was a small lot out there where all of the old, beat-up cars that were used to ferry Levi and his compatriots to and from the Underworld auctions were kept, shielded from prying eyes by dense rows of immaculately-groomed trees. A narrow dirt road led out from the lot to the main road, and it was nearly impossible for even the not-so-casual observer to tell that whatever car they were using had come from the mansion at all. 

Gunther was waiting in the driver's seat of a black 2003 Honda Civic, its paint chipped and its metal exterior covered in numerous scratches and dents of various sizes. The worn leather seats inside had several tears where springs and stuffing were poking out. Overall, it was a car that wouldn't look at all out of place in the Underworld. The only change Levi had made since he'd bought the car was to have the windows tinted, making it difficult for nosy criminals to peek inside and catch a glimpse of the car's inhabitants.

Levi slid into the backseat of the car, and Gunther immediately started the engine and pulled out of the lot after only a nod of greeting. After years of working with the man as part of his elite personal squad, Gunther knew exactly how Levi operated. "Alright Gunther, tell me what's going on," Levi said. "Is this a pleasure auction or a work auction?" 

"We're not sure yet, sir," Gunther replied. "Erd didn't get many details when he intercepted the phone conversation about it, just that the auction was being held today, and the approximate time it's starting. The auction's being held on the outskirts of Trost, so not too far away from here." 

There were two kinds of Omega auctions that went on in the Underworld. Work auctions were for people who were looking for Omegas purely as a source of free labor. Omegas were usually employed as domestics, sometimes for farm work. Those who had any schooling were sometimes bought for basic office work. Pleasure auctions, however, were for people who only desired Omegas for sex. The Omegas would sometimes have to "prove" their virginity or sexual prowess in front of crowds of bidders. It was a safe bet that any acts that occurred after the Omega was bought were not consensual. Levi shuddered slightly just thinking about it. Needless to say, he hoped that this was a work auction.

Levi shifted a bit to try and get more comfortable on the old leather seats, and leaned his head against the glass pane. He watched the stretches of parks and shiny office buildings go by as they drove through the nice part of Sina, where Levi and Mikasa now lived and ran the Wings of Freedom. But it hadn't always been like this. Though eight years separated Levi from his life in the Underworld, he still remembered it all too well. The gnawing feeling of hunger in his belly, making him feel weak and tired, making him desperate enough to search through trash heaps for something to eat. The cold nights spent huddled on a dirty floor in a crumbling house, trying desperately to get some sleep.

The Underworld was a living hell, but it wasn't a particular place that a person could find on a map. Rather, it referred to areas of extreme poverty and decrepit living conditions spread throughout the three countries of Maria, Rose, and Sina. A shitty neighborhood at the edges of Sina and a different one in Maria were both considered part of the Underworld. All of these areas were loosely connected by criminal activity - thieves, thugs, drug-pushers, and the like. 

Common features of the Underworld, wherever a person was, were dark and dingy alleyways littered with refuse, excrement, and the exhausted bodies of people too sick or hungry or miserable to make any further effort at survival. The government had basically given up on any Underworld neighborhoods, where people who were too poor to live elsewhere eked out a meager life in decrepit, crumbling old houses with holes in the roofs and oil-papered windows. The nights were filled with screams, curses, and gunfire as dozens of gangs waged war on each other for the best areas to squat or sell drugs. Just about everyone was high on some kind of substance, whether it was crack, heroin, PCP, or plain old alcohol. Anything to escape the misery of daily life in the Underworld.

"Mr. Ackerman, sir?" The sound of Gunther's voice jolted Levi out of his dark musings. "We've arrived."

Levi hadn't even realized that he'd been dozing against the window pain, and he saw now that they were only about a block away from a truly miserable-looking collection of broken-down houses, and taller buildings that must have at one point been offices or apartment complexes. He could see dark, narrow alleyways cutting through the derelict buildings as well. Levi felt his lip curl as he looked at a house that only had a propped-up piece of plywood in place of a front door. This place was definitely part of the Underworld. "You're sure this is where the auction's going down, then?" He asked.

"Positive, sir. These are the exact coordinates of where the phone call Erd intercepted took place. The auction should be starting soon, as well."

"Alright, well, you know the drill," Levi said as he exited the car. "If I'm not back in an hour, call Hanji and Mikasa to get my exact location and then come back me up."

"Of course, sir," Gunther smiled slightly. "But you haven't needed backup yet."

"Well, it makes Mikasa feel better to know that there's someone else out here besides me." And with that, Levi exited the car, and soon disappeared from Gunther's sight through the closest alleyway.

**-x-**

Eren had fucked up.

He'd been careless, and now he and Armin were trapped inside a cage with iron bars as thick around as Eren's tightly clenched fists. Huddled all around the two of them were at least ten other frightened Omegas. Some of them were openly weeping, others were quietly curled up into the fetal position against the cage's walls and corners. Still others were panicking, shouting and rattling at the cage bars now that the guards weren't around to hit them back with the butts of their guns. Several of the Omegas sported bruises from that, Eren among them. 

The air reeked of fear, sweat, and piss, as they had all been forced to relieve themselves in the cage when necessary. At least one person had vomited. Eren closed his eyes in disgust and pulled Armin close against him. The small blond Omega was curled up into a ball, face pressed against his knees as he tried desperately to forget about where they were. Eren couldn't help but think back to how the two of them had gotten stuck in this mess in the first place.

Annie had gone into heat yesterday morning, and she, Reiner, and Bertholt had sequestered themselves in the small back room of the hovel that they shared with Eren and Armin. Since the three of them were mated to each other, even Bertholt, a Beta, got as worked up over Annie's heats as she and Reiner did. It was far from the first time that Eren and Armin had sat through one of Annie's heats. However, the paper-thin walls of their house did very little to curb the sounds of ecstatic moaning and crying coming from the back room, especially now that the plaster had started breaking off in chunks with every new rainstorm. The house was filled with the scents of pheromones and sex, and it was driving Eren crazy. He couldn't help the slight feeling of arousal that the pheromones stirred in his blood, either, despite the fact that they came from a mated trio. Eren hated this basic biological response, which happened despite the fact that he wasn't romantically attracted to Reiner, Bertholt, or Annie. It felt like a smack in the face from his body, reminding him of his hated Omega status. It made Eren's skin crawl just to think about it.

Eren could tell that the sounds and scents were annoying Armin as well, since his best friend was currently sitting by the window furthest away from the back room and flipping idly through the pages of an old paperback that Eren knew he'd read through at least a hundred times by now. He growled in frustration. "Come on, Armin. Let's go outside for a bit."

Armin put his book down and looked up at Eren, his big blue eyes filled with concern. "Are you sure that's a good idea? I know that Annie's heat is annoying, I'm not exactly comfortable with it either. But there could be slavers around looking for Omegas. You know there are always more auctions going on when the weather gets nice."

Eren scoffed. "Come on. You don't think I can handle a few lousy slavers?" He idly pulled his knife from its place at his belt, flipping it up into the air and deftly catching it by the handle. "You've seen me stab people before for trying to grab at you or me or Annie. A jab in the arm will usually scare off any bastards who want to try something."

 _"Ohhh, Reiner! Bertholt! More!"_ Annie cried out from inside the bedroom, which was quickly followed by the sounds of rough panting and skin slapping against skin. Armin sighed and placed his book down on the crumbling windowsill. "OK, let's go."

Living in the Underworld of Trost wasn't easy, to put things lightly. There was always someone out there waiting to give you a knife between the ribs, a rock to the skull, or a bullet to the kneecaps, in order to shake you down for whatever drugs or pitiful amount of money you might have on you. It was especially bad if you were an Omega, however. Omegas weren't seen as people in the Underworld. They were objects, to sell or beat up or fuck. In order to survive, Omegas needed to learn how to fight or how to run and hide.

Despite being an Omega, Eren wasn't the small, soft little thing that most people saw Omegas as. Armin was the one who fit that image more. No, Eren was strong and lithely muscled. Annie was the same way. In fact, she was the one who had taught Eren how to fight, being an expert in street fighting herself. She had passed her skills onto Eren (and to a lesser extent Armin, though the small blond boy lacked the muscle tone and build to make particularly good use of them). It also helped that Eren was taller than most Omegas. In crowded areas like the Underworld, where the air was already filled with so many other scents, he could pass for a Beta to anyone who wasn't paying much attention. So Eren wasn't too worried about being out without Reiner or Bertholt's protection - for a short while, anyway.

It was a pleasantly warm day, and it seemed like a bit more sunshine than usual reached Eren and Armin past the tall, dark walls of the alleys that surrounded them, formed by long-abandoned office buildings and apartment complexes that were now only home to squatters and drug addicts. The two of them wandered into the "main square," an open area where many people had set up makeshift stalls to peddle their meager wares. 

Most of the things people sold in the Underworld were garbage - patchwork clothes made from dirty rags, or filthy bits of metal, wood, or plastic salvaged from dump heaps. Today, however, there was an old woman selling a small cart full of _apples_. Fruit of any sort was a rare thing for Eren and Armin, and both boys felt their eyes widen and mouths start to water at the bright red fruits. 

The woman had clearly just set up shop, yet there was already a growing crowd around her, buzzing with excitement and happy surprise. Eren and Armin quickly started searching their pockets for money, and were able to scrounge up a few coins between them. Eren took Armin's hand, and together they wove their way through the crowd to the old woman. Neither of them asked her where she'd gotten the apples - it was an unwritten rule that if someone in the Underworld actually had something good, you didn't ask them about where it came from. They gave the woman the money and she handed them two plump apples in return, smiling kindly at them.

Eren and Armin thanked her profusely before scurrying away with their apples in hand. They were certain that the crowd would turn violent once the woman ran out of fruit, and neither of them wanted to be around for that. Armin was gazing at his apple as if it was a dream. "I - I can't believe it," he said happily. "A real apple! Oh, Reiner and Annie and Bertholt are going to be mad that they missed out!"

Eren grinned. "Well, even if we did have the money to get more apples, they'd go bad by the time Annie's heat is finished. Come on, let's find somewhere to eat these in peace." He led Armin down an alleyway and around a corner, to a broken-down old house that they and Bertholt had scavenged in a few days ago, but had found empty. It was wedged uncomfortably between two office buildings, and it had clearly gone unnoticed by most in favor of those larger structures. The place was barely even a house anymore, since most of the roof had caved in and the walls were sagging. But it made for a good, quiet place to eat a snack in peace for a short time.

The two boys squirmed in past the door, which was hanging mostly off its hinges, and found a reasonably clean patch of floor to sit on. It was slightly cooler in the house than it was outside, and the beams of sunlight that shone in past the ruined wood and drywall lit dancing motes of dust in the air, making the place seem almost picturesque. Eren and Armin ate their apples slowly, relishing every sweet, crisp, crunchy bite and licking the juice from their fingers and lips.

"That was sooo good," Eren sighed, leaning contentedly back against the wall. "This is like the best day _ever_."

Armin giggled and leaned against Eren's shoulder. "I don't know about the best day ever. But you were right, it was good to get out for a little while. Still, we should head back before it gets dark."

"Yeah, sure. Let's just rest here for a few moments..." Eren murmured, feeling his eyes droop slowly closed. It felt strangely pleasant inside the ruined house, the air cool and quiet and free of the sounds and smells of sex that filled their own home. Having food in his belly, especially something tasty, made Eren feel calm and sleepy. He lay quietly for a few minutes as Armin's breathing become slow and regular beside him. And Eren himself drifted off to sleep soon after.

He was brought back to consciousness by a rough hand shaking at his shoulder. Thinking that it was Reiner in his drowsy state, Eren groaned and batted lightly at the hand. "Mmm...go 'way," he mumbled. "Five more minutes..."

"Eren!" His name being shouted out in a loud, panicked voice caused Eren to immediately jolt into full alert. His eyes opened wide and he sat up straight - only to be pushed back against the wall again by a pair of strong hands. Eren hissed as his head banged painfully against the drywall. 

To his left, Eren could see Armin's hands being tied behind his back by a large, muscular man - very clearly an Alpha, based on the way he towered over the small blond boy. Armin was staring straight at Eren, his blue eyes filled with fear, and his face was pale. Another large Alpha was sneering at Eren, his mouth revealing browned, crooked teeth. "Well, well, well," the man chuckled. "Aren't we lucky, eh, Jim? Finding a couple o' l'il Sleeping Beauties like this?"

Growling, Eren reached into his pocket and grabbed his knife, bringing it up quickly to stab into the jugular of the man who had his hands on Eren's shoulders - only to be stopped by a loud, fearful intake of breath from Armin. "Move one more inch and I'll gut this boy right in front of you," the man holding Armin snapped. He was holding a knife of his own against Armin's throat. The smaller boy's body froze, too afraid to struggle for fear that the knife would pierce him open.

Eren's stomach clenched in fear as he realized that he had no way out. If he stabbed the man in front of him, his accomplice would kill Armin. Eren didn't have the time to stab this man and then get to the other one in time to wrestle the knife away from him. Right now, Eren was outmatched. His eyes practically burned with rage as he reluctantly loosened his fingers, allowing the knife to fall from his hand and clatter uselessly against the floor. The Alpha picked it up and tucked it away in his pocket before manhandling Eren to his feet. He pulled a length of rope off of his belt and began to bind Eren's arms as well, making the knots tight enough to bite into Eren's flesh. "Don't you two boys be worryin' now," the man said, in a sadistically cheerful voice. "There's gonna be an auction tomorrow, and if you two're good, Jim and I'll make sure that some nice Alphas buy ya. Course," and he chuckled again, "with those looks o' yours, I imagine the Alphas'll be fightin' each other tooth and nail to bid on ya." 

The blood drained from Eren's face as he realized that all of his worst nightmares had come true. He and Armin had been captured by slavers. Unless they were able to escape, the two of them would be separated and sold off to Alphas. And they probably wouldn't be buying them for simple manual labor, based on what the Alpha slavers were saying.

"Aw c'mon, Ralph, we can't have a go with 'em first?" Jim whined. He leaned over to tilt Armin's chin up and look at the boy's face. "This one's got _reeeaaalll_ pretty eyes." Armin looked as if he was going to throw up, trying to desperately to jerk himself out of Jim's grip.

Eren leaned over and spat at Jim's face. The gob of saliva landed right on Jim's cheek, causing the man to recoil with disgust, letting go of Armin's jaw in the process. "Leave him alone, you bastard!" Eren shouted. "Take me if you want, just...just let Armin go!"

Ralph snarled and hit Eren across the back of his head. He cried out as his head bent forward with the impact, and stars bloomed across his vision. "Don't you know not to attack your betters, boy?" Ralph shouted. "Just for that, I'll make sure yer bought by the dirtiest fuckin' Alpha out there tomorrow! And Jim, you _know_ we won't get as much for used merchandise, so keep yer dirty mitts _off_!"

"Yes, boss," Jim muttered, wiping at his cheek with a filthy rag from his pocket. 

Ralph snorted. "Alright, let's go then."

It was now fully dark out, the natural light of the stars and moon covered by thick clouds. The only light now was artificial, from whatever street lamps that still had intact light bulbs, and spilling from the windows of houses where people had managed to scrape together enough to pay the month's electric bill. Eren and Armin were dragged down back alleys and streets, stumbling over their own feet in the deep shadows. Both of them fell a few times, hands and knees scraping against the sharp asphalt, but were roughly dragged upright again by the Alpha slavers.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they arrived at a large, empty building that had probably been used as a warehouse at some point, but had clearly been long-abandoned. Ralph pushed the door open and dragged Eren and Armin over to a row of large cages guarded by around six or seven bored-looking Alphas. A few of them had flashlights with them, which dimly lit the terrified faces of the Omegas inside.

"Got two more," Ralph grunted at one of the Alphas, who nodded, pulled out a ring of keys, and unlocked one of the cages. A few Omegas tried to make a run for it, but were brutally kicked and shoved back by the Alpha. Ralph and Jim pulled out knives, and in a blind panic Eren feared that they'd decided he and Armin weren't worth the trouble, and were going to kill the two of them anyhow. But no, the two Alphas sliced the boy's hands free and then roughly threw Eren and Armin inside the cage. "Consider yerself lucky we don't leave ya tied up all night. But we need ya to be able to pull yer pants down to shit," Ralph said. Then the cage door shut and Ralph and Jim left the warehouse, leaving the two boys trapped with the other frightened Omegas the slavers had captured.

They had been there for what felt like forever, trying to keep their fear in check. It was impossible to tell time in the building, as there were no windows in sight. Eren had tried to nab a guard's gun at one point when the man had gotten a bit too close to the cage, but the man had noticed and Eren had ended up getting a nasty bump on his head in return. All Eren could do was curse himself for being stupid enough to think that they were safe for only a moment. Omegas were _never_ safe. All he could do now was stay close to Armin and hope that they could think of something. But even Armin, who was the smartest person Eren knew, seemed pretty hopeless right now.

The Omegas all calmed down when the warehouse door was once again pushed open, squealing and scraping against the cracked concrete floor. Bright afternoon sunlight shone in, causing Eren to wince as his eyes adjusted. Had they really been trapped that long?

The hulking figure that walked in was Ralph, and Eren felt sick at seeing the man's disgusting teeth as he grinned crookedly. "Alright boys," Ralph shouted at the guards. "The auction's startin' in a few minutes! There's a crowd out there already, so tie these Omegas up and get 'em ready to show off to our buyers!"

The cages erupted with shouting from the Omegas, screams and wails and curses filling the air and ringing in Eren's ears. He considered trying to make a mad dash for it with Armin, but the Alphas all drew their guns as they opened the cages and made a big show of pointing them at everyone. "Any one of you makes trouble, we'll just shoot ya dead," one of them shouted, and the cages almost immediately quieted down.

Rough hands grabbed Eren and Armin and once again retied their arms with rope, the material burning and irritating against the marks on their wrists from the previous night. As they were pushed roughly out of the cage behind the other Omegas, Eren hoped that he and Armin were bought by a sympathetic Alpha, and that they weren't separated. Right now, with his hands tied and large Alphas with guns all around him, it didn't seem like there was anything else he could do.


	2. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eren and Levi meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had a heckuva summer so far, everyone. For the last couple of weeks I've had basically two papers due a week. Don't go to grad school unless you like writing and reading textbooks, kids. O.O So if you're wondering why I took so long getting this chapter out, that's why.
> 
> And if you haven't read A Matter of Perspective by the lovely, talented and wonderful HaleYes, DO IT NOW. I'm pretty sure I might be solely responsible for half the hits on the latest chapter. It's a good one! https://archiveofourown.org/works/3330047/chapters/7280663

All of the Omegas were herded forward a few blocks into town. Eren kept his eyes open, scanning the streets and alleys, hoping that an Alpha would look away for just a moment so that he could grab Armin and run. Unfortunately, the slavers guarded their captives well. No matter where Eren looked, a gun was pointed at him or Armin. Even if the two of them did manage to get away, they would be gunned down by the Alphas. He felt his heart sink, hating how useless he felt at the moment. The worst part was, Eren knew that this would never have happened had they been out with Reiner or Bertolt, and that fact felt like a knife wound in his gut. He gritted his teeth hard in order to keep the anger he felt inside from bubbling over. 

The group turned a corner, and Eren was met with the sight of a hastily-constructed wooden platform that was clearly in place for the Omegas to be paraded in front of the crowd of potential buyers. And there were indeed buyers - a sizeable group of people were gathered in front of the platform. All of them were dressed in clean, comfortable-looking clothes, a sure sign that they didn't live in the Underworld. Eren scanned the faces, looking for a sympathetic one that he could somehow appeal to, so that Armin at least wouldn't be bought by a total monster. But all Eren saw were cold, emotionless eyes scanning over his body and those of the other Omegas. It was as if they were nothing more than a fancy object to acquire, like a jeweled necklace or a rare painting.

Even though he was fully dressed, Eren had never felt more exposed before. These people were all monsters, unable to differentiate an Omega, a human being, from an inanimate object. He doubted that anyone in the crowd would have cared if they knew that all of the Omegas they were bidding on had been taken by force, ripped away from their homes and loved ones. Had Eren's hands been untied, had guns not been pointed at him, he would have killed them all.

One of the Alphas who had captured Eren and Armin, Ralph, climbed up onto the platform. "Ladies and gentleman," he said, clearly making an effort to sound genteel in front of the upper-class crowd in front of him. "I am pleased to welcome you here today to this Omega Auction. I hope that you will all find a lovely new addition to your households among the Omegas we have assembled for you today."

There was some polite, scattered applause from the crowd. Ralph flashed a big smile at the crowd. "And now, without any further ado, let's show off the merchandise!"

One by one, each of the Omegas was brought up onto the platform and displayed before the crowd. Ralph would say a bit about each one as they were brought up, little statements such as, "This fine girl's a bit young, but she's sure to grow up into a beauty!" Or, "Look at the legs on this young man! He's sure to be great in bed or for work around the house, whichever you please!"

Eren tried not to look as the line of Omegas before him and Armin got shorter and shorter. Armin, already pale and wide-eyed with fear, started trembling like a leaf as he watched one of the Alphas step onstage and roughly pull down a girl's pants in order to show the crowd that her virginity was still intact. Eren started twisting his wrists in his restraints, trying desperately to get loose. One of the Alphas noticed and cuffed him for it. "Behave, you little shit," the woman growled at him. 

One of the Alphas reached forward and grabbed Armin by the wrist, yanking him up towards the platform. _"Eren!"_ Armin screamed, reaching out to his friend as he was pulled away. "Help me!"

"Armin!" Eren cried. He started to run forward, only for a burly Alpha guard twice Eren's size to grab him around the middle and restrain him. "Let me _go,_ you bastard!" He shouted. _"Armin!"_ Though Eren was a bit off to the side of the platform and not in direct view of the crowd, a few of the people near the front heard him yelling and started peering curiously around the stage at him.

"Hey!" Jim stepped forward. "Quit makin' a scene, unless you want Johnny here to knock you out!" 

Tears blurred Eren's vision as he saw Armin led up to the front of the stage. "Just look at this here lovely little blond, folks! Blond hair is a lot less common than dark hair these days!" Ralph said. "And those big blue eyes are sure to impress anyone! This is one Omega you can dress up and show off to all your friends! Let's start the bidding at $500, and remember, if you want to see him naked before placing your bid, you have but to ask!"

"I'll bid $550!" Someone shouted.

"$600!" Said someone else near the back, and the numbers from the crowd just kept on going up. "700!" "800!" "850!" Eren heard Armin stifle a small sob up on stage, and he couldn't help letting out one of his own.

"2,000!" Someone yelled from the middle of the crowd. A male voice, and one that sounded pretty young as well. From where he was standing, however, Eren couldn't see who had made the bid.

"Well, well!" Ralph laughed. "That's quite a bit of money for our little beauty up here! Anyone care to go higher?"

There were a few long moments of silence that, to Eren, felt like eternity. All he could do was stare up at Armin, who looked so small and frightened, as if he was about to be devoured by the crowd in front of him. Armin, who was so smart and quick, was being subjected to this torture. It was almost too much for Eren to bear. Tears rolled freely down his cheeks, and right now he didn't care if any Alphas saw.

No one offered up a higher bid, so finally Ralph said, "Aaaand sold, to the young gentleman in the green shirt! Come see my man at the back of the crowd, and we'll finalize the deal!" One of the Alpha guards pulled Armin off of the platform and into the crowd, towards the man who had bid 2,000 dollars for him. His new _owner._ Eren soon lost sight of his friend's blond hair in the crowd, and his chest and stomach constricted in pain. "You bastards, you assholes!" He shouted. "I _hate_ you, I hate you all!"

"Yeah well, no one gives a shit, kid," the man who was restraining Eren grunted into his ear. "We're just here to get paid."

Eren's body went limp in the man's arms, and he simply let the tears continue to stream down his face. Armin was gone, and Eren would probably never see him again. For all he knew, Armin was going to be his new _owner's_ pet whore until he got too old or too visually unappealing. Or he'd be forced into the role of a slave, bearing his Alpha's children and doing the man's cooking and cleaning and laundry for the rest of his days. And it was all Eren's fault. He was the one who had dragged Armin out of the house in the first place. He was the one who'd been foolish enough to believe that it would be alright for an Omega to go outside without an Alpha or Beta accompanying them for a short time. He was such an _idiot_.

One by one, the rest of the Omegas were brought up onto the platform and sold off. Some of them whimpered and cried as they were led away. Others were stone-faced and numb, clearly resigned to their fates. Eventually, Eren was the last one left. Johnny carried him up onto the platform and plopped him down next to Ralph. Eren stared out into the crowd of people before him, their faces a vast sea of cold, emotionless masks. There was no way anyone would buy him. No one liked a willful, angry Omega who would make a scene and cause trouble for his Alpha. Eren would probably get dumped off at the nearest whorehouse for whatever money his captors could get. Or he would just be shot right on the spot. Either way, his future looked bleak. The only people who cared enough to go looking for him - Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie - wouldn't be finished with Annie's heat until Eren and Armin were long gone. They would never know what had happened to the two of them.

The crowd began to mutter uneasily. Some of them had seen Eren making a scene when Armin was being sold, and the rest were able to deduce that he was trouble based on the fact that he needed to be restrained by a much larger Alpha. Ralph, sensing that Eren would be a difficult sell, cleared his throat nervously. "Ladies and gentleman," he said, "we have one last Omega to show you today!"

**-x-**

_Shit, I'm too late,_ was Levi's first thought as he jogged around the corner of an old, crumbling building and saw a crowd of people gathered in an open area nearby. There were a bunch of Alphas standing around a wooden platform with guns, who were clearly the slavers. Yet Levi didn't see or sense many Omegas around. _Damn it, Erd must have gotten the fucking time wrong,_ Levi cursed internally. _It looks like the auction's almost over..._

Quietly, Levi slipped into the back of the crowd. A few people turned his way briefly, before deciding that Levi must have been a late-comer to the auction and didn't look particularly interesting, either. Most of the people at the auction were dressed in plain clothes - rich though they undoubtedly were, they weren't stupid enough to wear anything that might attract robbers. Yet Levi could see the hidden signs of wealth on them anyway. A flash of a Rolex watch under a man's coat sleeve, a quick glimpse of Tiffany pearls just underneath the collar of a woman's dress. Gucci shoes on one man, a Prada handbag held close against one woman's chest. Scattered here and there among the crowd were large, intimidating Alphas and Betas, bodyguards who had been hired for extra security for those traveling into the Underworld for an auction. 

Levi looked up at the makeshift stage, and saw the only Omega left at the sale. His eyes widened in shock as he saw the Omega for the first time, and his heart stuttered in his chest for a brief moment. Levi forgot about the crowd of people around him, the slavers, and the bodyguards eyeing everyone warily. It seemed as if the world had frozen, and it was reduced to just Levi and the Omega boy. Levi had seen a lot of Omegas in his time leading the Wings of Freedom, and he thought that he'd seen every stripe of misery and trauma and anger that humanity had to offer in them. But Levi had never seen an Omega quite like the boy currently on display.

The Omega's face was a mess, tears and snot running down his cheeks, streaks of dirt around his neck, his brown hair a tangled mess. He looked tall for an Omega, as well. Taller than Levi, anyway, though that wasn't exactly saying much. And the raw _defiance_ shining in the boy's eyes was something that Levi had never seen in anyone before, whether they were Alpha, Beta, or Omega. The boy's large eyes themselves were unusual as well - a vibrant mix of green and blue that strongly reminded Levi of the ocean on a bright summer's day. His teeth were bared in a snarl, making him look almost feral, like an animal that wanted desperately to attack. If he wasn't trapped in the arms of an Alpha slaver, Levi knew the boy would be trying to tear out the throats of his captors. He had never seen an Omega have to be restrained like that while on display before. 

_You might buy me right now,_ every fiber of the boy's body seemed to scream, _but you will_ never _own me. None of you have the right to own me, to own any Omega._

And all Levi could think was: _Not bad. Not bad at all._

The slaver onstage who had announced the Omega when he was brought on cleared his throat nervously before continuing. "A-anyway, this Omega's a spitfire, but just look at those eyes, folks! Stunning, aren't they? This boy looks like he'd be fun for any enterprising Alpha out there to tame, that's for sure! Can I hear $500 for him?" 

Levi felt disgust at the man's words. How could he talk about that boy as if he was a mere animal, when he clearly had more fight and spirit in him than everyone else present combined! The boy didn't look much happier, as he let out a loud snarl that was quickly choked off when the Alpha holding him squeezed tightly around his ribs.

It looked like the crowd wasn't buying the slaver's words, as no one was shouting out bids. Everyone in the crowd was giving each other sidelong glances and muttering, and it was no wonder. A certain amount of anger in an Omega was expected, tolerated, even welcomed by some Alphas. But for the most part, people liked their Omegas passive and quiet. No one wanted an Omega who would cause trouble for them by running off or creating unrest among any other Omegas a potential buyer might own. Or worse, trying to slit his owner's throat while they slept. And it didn't help that the boy was large for an Omega, and therefore not as easy for the average person to physically control. 

"I'll take him," Levi called out. "$500, right?" He wasn't surprised at having to buy an Omega. Though typically, Levi and the other Wings of Freedom members liked to break into a warehouse and rescue the Omegas before the sale started, sometimes things couldn't be helped. Levi had certainly bought Omegas from sales before, though he didn't like to do so. Buying Omegas at these kinds of events drew attention to you, no matter how minimal it might be. No, what surprised Levi was that he _wanted_ to buy the kid. He would have wanted to even if he wasn't part of the Wings of Freedom.

The Alpha slaver on the platform practically sagged with relief. He didn't even try to see if anyone wanted to bid higher, probably realizing that Levi's offer was better than what he might get trying to offload the Omega at a brothel. "Sold!" The slaver shouted. "To the Alpha in the back!"

Up on the platform, Eren's body froze in the arms of his captor. His eyes widened in disbelief. Someone had actually _bought_ him? Even after watching the spectacle of Eren struggling in Johnny's arms onstage? The man - for it had definitely been a man's voice who placed the bid - must be insane. Eren had been banking on getting dumped at a brothel, which would be a lot easier to escape from. Then he could get back to Reiner, Bertholt, and Annie, and the four of them together would rescue Armin. Now, he was going to get carted off to who-knew-where, probably to become some Alpha's new fucktoy. It would be next to impossible for his friends to find him then.

"C'mon, Johnny, let's bring the kid to the back," Ralph muttered, and Johnny followed him off thee stage and towards the man who had just placed the only bid on Eren. The crowd was quickly dispersing now that there were no more Omegas to sell. No one wanted to be in the Underworld for a moment longer than necessary, especially not the wealthy Alphas that had shown up to the auction today. 

The first thing Eren noticed about his new owner was that the man was short. Eren was probably half a head taller than him. He looked at Eren with sharp, narrow, and emotionless eyes that were a dull shade of brown. He was dressed very plainly for an Alpha as well, his head completely covered by a knit cap. Probably, Eren thought angrily, because his buyer was bald. Yet Eren couldn't deny that the man was attractive, in his way. The short Alpha's body was lithe and muscular, and his sharp jaw and high cheekbones complemented the shape of his eyes and his small, slightly pointed nose.

Eren would have thought the man a Beta, or even another Omega like himself, except for the man's scent. It was purely _Alpha,_ smelling of strength, purpose, and surety in a way Eren had never smelled before. A small part of Eren, the annoying Omega part that he tried desperately to suppress, wanted nothing more than to _submit._ To fall on his knees and bare his neck, allowing the Alpha to do with him as he pleased. Eren had never felt this way before around an Alpha, especially not one that he had just met, and it scared him. He had no idea what that kind of feeling meant, especially since the only time Eren had ever felt like submitting was when he was affected by someone else's heat pheromones.

The Alpha reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of hundred dollar bills. Eren couldn't help goggling at them - he'd never seen so much money on one person in his life. And just in plain cash, as well! Eren thought that the man must have been either very cocky or very stupid - or both - to just carry so much money around, especially in the Underworld. The rich bastard had probably never been down here before save for Omega auctions, just like all the other Alphas. "Here," Eren's buyer said shortly, shoving the money roughly into Ralph's palm. "Now let the brat go."

"But sir," Ralph started, "this one's a little... _wild,_ as I'm sure you've noticed. He might try to run off or attack you. For just a little extra - say, maybe another $100 - I could have Johnny take him straight to your home - "

"I _said,_ " the Alpha cut in, "to let him go." His voice had just the right edge of promised violence if Ralph didn't comply, and the slaver's words died in his throat. 

Ralph quickly counted the money in his palm, then nodded at Johnny. "Let the little shit go, already. He ain't our problem anymore."

Johnny shrugged, and Eren felt the iron grip of his arms vanish as he was released. He didn't even bother trying to run - with so many Alphas nearby, somebody would be sure to catch him before he'd even gone three paces. The smaller Alpha who'd bought Eren clamped his hand down on Eren's wrist, and the Omega hissed slightly. If Johnny's hold had been like iron, this Alpha's grip was steel. He probably wouldn't be able to get free if he tried.

"C'mon, kid," the Alpha muttered, and started walking away at a quick pace. He was surprisingly fast for someone so short, and Eren was practically dragged after him, stumbling as he tried to keep up. 

"Where are we going?" Eren asked, but his question was ignored. The Alpha walked with purpose, turning down one alleyway, then onto a side street, and stopping halfway down a second alley. No one was around, since even the street that the alley branched off into was small and rarely used. Sweat started to bead on Eren's forehead as fear gripped his stomach. Why had the Alpha taken him here? Why weren't they currently in some kind of luxury car as the Alpha drove Eren to what would become the Omega's gilded prison? Had this man bought Eren just to kill him? He'd heard stories, of Alphas who liked doing that, slowly dismembering young Omegas and relishing in their screams of pain and fear as they died. The Alpha's expression was inscrutable, and Eren had no idea what the man was thinking.

_Well, I won't go down without a fight!_ Eren thought angrily. He snarled and tried to punch the Alpha with his free hand, aiming right for the nose. The Alpha didn't even blink at the attack, merely moved his hand to block Eren's punch. Then he squeezed his long fingers around Eren's fist like a vice. It _hurt,_ and Eren yelped, trying desperately to pull out of the man's grip.

"Knock it off, you damn brat!" The short Alpha snarled. "I'm trying to _help you_!" 

"Yeah right!" Eren bit back. "You just bought me like an animal, and now you're gonna cut me up and leave me in this alley, aren't you? That how you get off?"

_"What?"_ The Alpha stared at Eren incredulously. "That's ridiculous. What are you, an idiot? I'm part of an organization that frees enslaved or captured Omegas, like you! It's called the Wings of Freedom."

All of a sudden Eren stopped struggling. His mouth dropped open and he stared at the Alpha, who merely rolled his eyes. "The - the Wings of Freedom?" Eren whispered. "It's _real_?" He'd heard stories, of course, whispered accounts among the Underworld denizens of a group of individuals that worked to get Omegas to safety. No one seemed to know who they were, and the stories made it sound like the Wings of Freedom were made up of mysterious vigilantes enforcing justice in an unfair and cruel world. Eren had always pictured them as people in long, dark coats, leaping around rooftops in order to save people. Certainly not like the angry and incredibly strong Alpha who had just bought Eren.

"Yes," the Alpha answered. "We are. What's your name, brat?"

"It's Eren. Eren Jaeger," Eren answered without even thinking. He felt a strange sense of hero worship all of a sudden, staring at this man who literally did what Eren had dreamed of doing ever since he'd first heard of the Wings of Freedom. He'd always wanted to help people who needed it, and fight against injustice. Eren could barely believe that anyone like that actually existed in this cruel world. "What's your name?" He added. 

"It's Levi," the Alpha replied, and Eren ran the name over in his head. _Levi._ It was a name that perfectly fitted the Alpha in front of him. Strong, and firm. The urge to fall on his knees in submission hadn't gone away since Eren had first seen the Alpha, but the sound of his name made Eren painfully conscious of his Omega instincts once again. He'd never been in the presence of an Alpha like Levi before, one whose scent promised such protection and dominance.

"Listen," Levi said, "we're only a block or so away from my car. I'm going to take you there to wait with my driver, Gunther. I need to go back to the warehouse, make sure there aren't any other Omegas in there. I won't be long."

"I'm going with you!" Eren burst out. "My friend Armin, he got bought just before I was sold. Maybe he's still around there!"

"No," Levi said firmly. "There are probably still slavers back there, and I can't concentrate on them and look after your ass at the same time."

"I can hold my own! I _need_ to try and find Armin!"

"I said _no,_ brat."

"You can't stop me!" Eren replied, his eyes shining with that same fierce determination that Levi had been so attracted to only half an hour earlier. He sighed inwardly. _I hate having to do this..._

Before Eren could so much as blink, Levi had released his wrist and hit the back of his head, hard. Eren's eyes widened in shock and pain, then closed, He toppled forward like a sack of potatoes, clearly unconscious. Levi caught the Omega before he hit the ground and hoisted him over his shoulder. _Damn, if I'd known this brat would be so difficult, I would've tried to argue the price down,_ he thought, as he carried Eren back to the car.

**-x-**

Gunther looked up from his crossword puzzle as Levi came into view with a body slung over his shoulder. He quickly got out of the car and opened the backseat door so that Levi could deposit the body inside. It was a male Omega, Gunther could tell by the scent, with messy brown hair and long, dark lashes resting gently against his cheeks. He breathed a slight sigh of relief upon seeing that the boy was still breathing. "Sir, what happened?" He asked.

"I was too late," Levi replied. "This brat was the only one left by the time I got to the auction. He refused to go and wait by the fucking car, even after I explained who I was. So I had to knock him out or he would've caused a scene."

Gunther snorted slightly. "Bit of a spitfire, eh?"

"Annoyingly stubborn is more like it. I'm going back to the warehouse that the auction was being held in front of, just to make sure those shitty slavers aren't keeping anymore Omegas inside. I won't be long. If the brat wakes up before I get back, I'm sure you can handle it." And with that, Levi turned on his heel and walked back down the alleyway he had come out of, soon disappearing around a corner.

Gunther chuckled slightly as he slid back into the front seat and went back to his crossword puzzle. "Y'know, I think Mr. Ackerman is actually attracted to you, kid. He usually doesn't get quite this angry after rescuing Omegas."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week I'll only be going to one class a week, (plus my internship), so I should have more time to write. And I've set a goal to write at least 15 minutes a day every day (if I'm able to), so that'll help get Chapter 3 out faster, too. :)
> 
> (Armin, my baby...I love you so much, why do I do these things to you...? T^T)


	3. Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm really liking my new "write at least 15 minutes a day if possible" goal. Since I've been able to keep it up so far (hooray!) I have a new chapter out for you guys way sooner than I thought I would! Woo!
> 
> WARNINGS: Minor character death (of mostly unnamed OCs). Violence. Also, Levi gets pretty dark in the first half of this chapter. I don't think it's anything worse than what you would see in SnK canon, but I'm just giving everyone a heads-up.
> 
> Enjoy!

It didn't take Levi very long to find his way back to the warehouse. He'd always had a good sense of direction in the Underworld, even if it wasn't the same Underworld he'd lived in growing up. The area seemed pretty deserted now that the auction was over. Even the wooden platform that the Omegas had been displayed on earlier had been taken down. Levi approached the warehouse carefully, sticking close to the other buildings around it and keeping his eyes and ears peeled for even the smallest hint of another person. Thankfully, he was able to get to the warehouse's large back doors without incident.

The doors were cracked open slightly, probably to let in air, as the building had no windows as far as Levi could see. He pressed his back against one of the doors and carefully peered inside. In the thin slant of light coming in from outside, he saw the backs of three slavers hanging around an electric lantern, passing a small flask between them.

"Good haul today, Ralph," said one of the slavers, a female by the sound of her voice. "Those rich folks sure are willing to shell out for a pretty Omega, eh?"

"Yeah, we made a fair bit of cash today," the slaver - Ralph - replied. "But listen, I think I'll be able to get us an even better gig than these small-time auctions. I've gotten in touch with a guy who wants Omegas. As many as we can find. He didn't say what he wanted them all for, but who cares? What's important is, he offered $500 a head for any Omegas we get for him."

"Is he legit?" Asked the third slaver, another male. "I mean, is this someone who's gonna just take what we bring him and not pay us shit?"

"I've talked with a couple other people, and he seems legit enough," Ralph replied. "I don't know who the hell he is, but all we gotta do is bring the Omegas to his contact, and then get paid. No more fucking around with auctions!"

Levi's heart sped up as he listened. The Wings of Freedom had heard a few things about this mysterious man, someone who wanted as many Omegas as possible for as-yet unknown purposes. Yet even Hanji couldn't find out any more information about whoever this man was, only that he was someone influential and _very_ rich. But these slavers seemed to know more - or they knew someone else who did, at least. Levi knew he had to get this information out of them, no matter what. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a pair of black leather gloves. They were good quality, the leather soft and supple from use. Levi always wore them in situations where he didn't want to leave behind any fingerprints. One could never be too careful, after all. 

He gently nudged the door open a few more inches, just enough for him to slip inside. Thankfully, the hinges didn't squeak too much. Luckily, the female slaver took that moment to laugh loudly at something one of her fellows said, which covered up the slight sound of the door opening. Levi squirmed carefully through the doors, then crouched down and moved quickly across the floor. His feet were silent against the dust and dirt that blanketed the concrete. Clearly, this warehouse hadn't been used for anything other than as a place to hold captured Omegas for a long time.

Levi pressed up against the crates that the three slavers were leaned up against, talking quietly amongst themselves. One of them was counting out the money they had earned from the auction. Levi got a whiff of whatever was in the flask as it was passed around, and his nose wrinkled at the stench of very strong, very poor-quality liquor. Typical Underworld swill - it was made solely for the drinker to get intoxicated, and nothing else.

Levi waited for the right moment to strike, and it came when the female slaver turned to put the flask, now nearly empty, on top of the crate behind her. Levi sprang up from behind the crate as swiftly as a shadow, wrapping his arms around the woman's neck and pulling her to the ground. Her boots clattered loudly against the crates, causing the two male slavers to jump to their feet with cries of shock. The female slaver opened her mouth to scream, but it turned into a grunt as Levi slammed her head against the concrete floor with all of his considerable strength. The woman let out a kind of strangled shout before falling limp, a dark pool of blood spreading out behind her head and staining the floor.

The two remaining slavers opened fire, and the formerly quiet warehouse was now filled with the loud _crack-crack-crack_ of gunfire. Bullets whizzed through the air around Levi, pinging off of the floor and peppering the wood of the crates he was hiding behind. Levi quickly rolled across the floor to take cover behind a concrete pillar. The second one of the men stopped to reload, he was on the move, keeping low to the ground as he dashed around an empty cage and then quickly ducked down behind another pillar.

The slavers didn't know where Levi was, as he'd been moving quickly and the warehouse was pitch-dark save for the small light given off by the lantern. They were now firing wildly, and it was easy for Levi to position himself behind them, carefully weaving his way around another stack of crates for cover. He leapt out and grabbed one of them by the shoulders, causing the man to yelp in surprise and drop his gun. Just as the other slaver turned and started firing at Levi, the smaller man positioned the one that he was holding in front of him like a shield. The man cried out as a bullet lodged itself in his chest, and his body went limp in Levi's arms. 

He tossed the man's body to the ground and tackled the last slaver, who was standing stock still, his eyes wide with shock and horror as he realized that he had just inadvertently killed his friend. The two men fell to the ground, Levi driving his knees against the man's chest in order to cushion his fall. The slaver let out a pained grunt as his back hit the ground, and his gun skittered across the floor to land several feet away from its owner's hand. The man desperately tried to reach for it, only to find Levi's shoe pinning his hand to the ground. There was a sickening _crunch_ , and the slaver howled out in pain as he felt several of the bones in his hand break underneath Levi's foot.

Levi put his other foot against the man's throat, pressing just hard enough to make it difficult, but not impossible, for him to breathe. The slaver gasped and struggled, his free hand coming up to scrabble helplessly at Levi's shoe. "What...d'you...want?" He wheezed out between labored breaths.

"Your contact," Levi answered matter-of-factly. "The one you bastards were going to bring Omegas to instead of selling them off at auctions. Who are they?"

"You...you heard us...?"

"Damn straight I did. Now tell me who your fucking contact is already, I'm starting to lose my patience."

"D'you...want money? I can...agh...let you in on our deal...give you a cut -ack!" Levi pushed down a bit more firmly against the man's throat, causing his face to turn bright red. He desperately clawed against Levi's shoe in a futile attempt to release some of the pressure against his throat. Levi leaned a bit closer to the slaver's face, repressing a shudder of revulsion at the flecks of spit that were landing on his shoe. 

"I don't want your _filthy_ money," Levi hissed out. "Tell me the name of your contact. _Now_."

"Alright! Alright! It's...Dawk. Nile Dawk...he runs the King's Hotel...in downtown Sina..."

"Who does he work for? Is it someone else who works at the hotel?" Levi demanded.

"I...I don't know!" The man gasped, his eyes starting to bulge slightly out of his head. "I was just...supposed to bring the Omegas to him! I don't know...who he works for! I-I swear! Please...please, let me go...I can't breathe..."

Levi stared at the man trapped underneath his foot for one long moment with flinty eyes, his face cold and impassive. Finally, he stepped off of the slaver's body. The man took in huge gulps of air, his coloring returning to normal. He curled up onto his side, cradling his injured hand to his chest. 

Levi walked over to where the slaver's gun had fallen and picked it up. There were still a few bullets left in the clip. He walked back to the slaver, who was now whimpering pathetically. The man's face contorted into horror as Levi cocked the gun at his head. "Please...please, no," he whispered hoarsely. "I'll give you anything you want. Money, booze, drugs, anything. Just...don't kill me, please!"

"Men like you are scum," Levi said coldly. "Filthy, disgusting monsters, capturing human beings and selling them like cattle to the highest fucking bidder. You don't deserve to live." 

There was a loud _bang_ as the gun fired, and the slaver's body slumped against the ground, motionless. Blood pooled around him, dripping from the fresh bullet wound in his forehead. 

There were two more identical _bangs_ as Levi put a bullet in the female slaver and the other male one, just to make sure. Then he tossed the gun onto the floor behind him and left the warehouse, shutting the door quietly behind him. He wasn't at all worried about getting caught. There were no security cameras in the Underworld, and no one had seen Levi enter or leave. Besides, no one really cared about what happened to small-time Underworld slavers like the three Levi had just killed.

"The King's Hotel, eh?" Levi muttered to himself as he headed back to the car. It was the fanciest, most expensive hotel in all of Sina, catering exclusively to the wealthy. He and Mikasa had been in there a few times when they'd been forced into attending a few fancy dinners or some other such nonsense. The place practically dripped opulence, all crystal and velvet and gilt. It had been nice enough if you were into that sort of thing, but Levi had just been bored there. He'd never heard of this Nile Dawk person, but Erwin was bound to know more. That man kept up the impeccable image of a perfect socialite, and seemed to know everything about everybody. And whatever Erwin didn't know, Hanji would find out.

Levi reached up and idly flicked his collar, turning on the tiny microphone that was pinned to it. "Hanji," he whispered, "you there?"

There was a brief burst of static, and then Hanji's voice crackled to life. _"Levi! Gunther radioed in and told us what happened at the auction. Are you alright? Did you find any other Omegas?"_

"I'm fine. I need you to find all the information you can about a man called Nile Dawk. He runs the King's in downtown Sina. I'll explain everything once I get back." Before Hanji could ask any of the million questions Levi was sure she would have for him, he flicked his collar again and turned the microphone off. His head was full enough of its own thoughts, too many of which centered around a bright-eyed boy currently lying unconscious in the backseat of his car.

**-x-**

The first thing that Eren was aware of was that he was lying on top of something soft. Softer than anything he had slept on since he was nine years old. He sighed happily in his half-conscious state, snuggling a little further into the warm, cozy softness. In a few minutes someone would probably come to wake Eren up, and he would have to leave this wonderful resting place. Then he would have to go and panhandle with Bertolt, or scavenge for anything they could sell or trade for food with Reiner...

_Wait a minute..._ Everything that had happened over the past few days suddenly came rushing back into Eren's mind like a tidal wave. Him and Armin getting kidnapped by slavers. The auction. Armin being sold off to some rich bastard Alpha. Then the mysterious Alpha that had saved Eren, who said that he worked for the Wings of Freedom...

Eren's eyes snapped open and he abruptly sat up, only to be overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness. He hissed in pain and brought a hand up to his forehead. He took a few deep breaths and waited for his head to clear. Once he felt a bit better, Eren realized that he was currently sitting in a bed. _A real bed!_ Eren, who had spent half his life sleeping on worn mats that did little to cushion his body from the cold, hard ground, could only marvel at it. He ran his hands wonder over the soft, dark blue coverlet and gazed at the fluffy white pillows behind him. The headboard and footboard were made of a rich, dark wood that looked incredibly expensive. "Wow..." Eren whispered softly to himself.

The entire room he was in looked expensive, in fact. There was a nightstand with a blue and white china pitcher, bowl, and fluffy white towel on it. Across from Eren was an old-fashioned cabinet with shiny golden trim, with a bunch of small crystal animal figurines lined up neatly on top of it. A pale blue carpet was spread out over the floorboards, and there was a large window to Eren's right framed by sheer white curtains. Late afternoon sunlight slanted through the window in warm, golden rays. In one sunlit corner was a wicker rocking chair with soft-looking cream-colored cushions. The whole room was impeccably clean, with not a speck of dirt or dust in sight. "Am I dead?" Eren wondered aloud. "Is this heaven?"

The door opened suddenly, causing Eren to nearly fell out of the bed in shock. "Ah! You're awake!" A female voice said. "Sorry, I thought you'd still be asleep. You slept all through last night and most of today, after all. Did I startle you?" 

Standing in the doorway were two women - a mated Alpha and Omega pair by their scent. Both of them looked a bit older than Eren, although not terribly so. The shorter girl had long, brown hair that was tied back into a messy ponytail, and warm, friendly brown eyes that reminded Eren of freshly-baked bread. He guessed that she was an Omega by her slight figure, which was common to most Omegas. The girl smiled encouragingly and walked into the room to lay the silver tray she was carrying gently down on Eren's lap. He looked down to see a hot bowl of what looked like chicken noodle soup, with thick noodles, generous chunks of chicken, and colorful vegetables swimming in a golden broth. There was also a roll and a glass of orange juice. It looked and smelled delicious.

"Go ahead, eat up!" The brunette Omega said cheerfully. "I made this just for you. My name's Sasha, by the way. Sasha Ackerman. This is my Alpha, Mikasa Ackerman." Sasha gestured at the woman behind her, who also walked into the room. Mikasa was a beautiful woman, with pale skin and somber blue-gray eyes. She moved with the grace of a seasoned fighter, and Eren could tell that Mikasa was strong and fit beneath her long black skirt and pale blue blouse. Her black hair was cut short, ending at the top of her shoulders, and despite the warm weather Mikasa had a fluffy red scarf wrapped around her neck. Basically, she was the textbook image of an Alpha and Eren would have bet anything that she'd had her pick of Omegas.

Eren's stomach took that opportunity to let out a loud growl, and he was painfully reminded that he hadn't eaten anything but an apple since last night. He spooned some soup into his mouth and couldn't help but let out a moan at how good it was. Eren had spent half his life eating whatever he could find, and it usually was poor-quality food that there wasn't even a lot of. He hadn't had a good, healthy meal in ages. Sasha giggled and crossed the room to sit in the wicker chair. Mikasa leaned against the wall next to the door, carefully appraising Eren with cool eyes.

Eren ate quickly and heartily, savoring every mouthful of hot soup and warm, soft bread. He finished everything before too long, and he let out a soft sigh at how good it felt to have a warm, full belly. "Thank you," Eren said softly, wiping his mouth with a linen napkin that was on the tray by the now-empty bowl. "Was I really asleep for such a long time?"

"Yep. But don't worry about it, you've been through a lot," Sasha said. "What with being roughed up by slavers, and all. As for the food, that's no problem! I'm the chef here at the Ackerman mansion. I _love_ cooking. And eating, too! I cook for pretty much everyone who lives here, including all the Omegas who come through the mansion. Which is a lot!" She beamed proudly.

"Your name is Eren Jaeger, correct?" Mikasa asked quietly. At Eren's wary nod, she continued. "I want to apologize for the way my older brother treated you. He told me everything that happened at the auction today."

"Your...brother?" Eren wondered aloud. Then an image of the short, angry Alpha who had rescued him flashed through his mind. He remembered the man - _Levi_ \- dragging him into an alley and telling Eren that he worked with the Wings of Freedom. The two of them had argued, and Eren remembered feeling a sharp pain on the back of his head. Then...there was nothing. "That bastard knocked me out!" He said angrily, reaching up to rub at the base of his skull. He hissed in pain and pulled his hand away. The area felt tender and painful to the touch.

"You have a few bruises, including one from where Levi hit you," Sasha explained gently. "Nothing too bad, no open wounds or anything. I'm going to have my friend Connie come up in a minute to patch you up, don't worry! Mikasa just wanted to talk to you first."

"Levi isn't always the most...tactful person," Mikasa explained gently. "He didn't mean to hurt you, Eren. He just wanted to get you to safety as quickly as possible."

"So he knocked me out because he was _concerned_?" Eren stared incredulously at Mikasa. "Does he do this with every Omega he rescues?"

"Well...no," Mikasa admitted. "But Levi is stubborn, and he's not very good at explaining things. He expects the people he rescues to just follow him without question. Levi didn't want you going back to the very people he'd taken you away from. People would have noticed if an Alpha was skulking around an auction site with an Omega he'd just bought after the auction was over. It would have blown his cover, and then put you in danger. I'm just trying to explain the way he thinks - he often comes off as rude or abrasive to people."

" _He_ should be the one apologizing," Eren huffed, leaning back into the pillows and crossing his arms in annoyance.

Sasha tried and failed to contain an amused snort, and Mikasa's lips quirked ever-so-slightly upwards. "Levi apologizes in his own way, but he usually doesn't say he's sorry outright," Mikasa said.

"Don't worry, I don't think that anyone really knows what to think about Levi unless they've known him for a really long time," Sasha chimed in. "Heck, I had no idea what to even talk about around him until Mikasa and I mated. But Levi is really a very kind person. He wouldn't continually put his life and reputation on the line to rescue Omegas if he wasn't."

Eren perked up slightly as he remembered that Levi was part of The Wings of Freedom, an organization that Eren had only dreamed could be real until today. A group of people who rescued Omegas from slavery, who actually _cared_ about what happened to them. Which meant that the Wings of Freedom would know how to find Armin. Eren knew that he had to join them, if only so that he could save Armin from a life that Eren had narrowly escaped only by sheer luck. "Let me join the Wings of Freedom," he said. "Please, I _need_ to find my friend. He was sold just before Levi rescued me."

Mikasa and Sasha exchanged a look. "You'd have to talk to Levi about that," Mikasa said. "He and his friend Erwin are the ones who actually run the Wings of Freedom, so they're the only people who can actually admit any new members to the team."

"Sasha, you're an Omega," Eren said, turning to face the girl seated to his left. "How did you join up?"

"Um, well..." Sasha looked down at her lap and started fiddling with a loose strand of hair. "I'm not actually a member of the Wings of Freedom. There's only one Omega member, and he's an exception. Everyone else is an Alpha or a Beta."

_"What?"_ Eren looked back and forth between Mikasa and Sasha incredulously. "You guys _rescue Omegas_ , and yet you don't have any Omega members?!"

"It's not that we don't respect Omegas," Mikasa said, putting her hands up in a gesture of peace. "But an Omega in our organization would be at a disadvantage. If an Omega gets caught helping other Omegas like we do, they'd probably get tortured or killed. Or an Alpha could capture you out in the field and try to sell you off as a slave again. And if, in the worst-case scenario, the government finds out who we are and raids the house, any Omega members are going to get the worst of whatever punishment there is for breaking the status quo. The way things are now, any Omegas we're associated with can claim plausible deniability. The Omegas we've rescued are spread out all over the world now, so it'd be impossible for anyone to track them down and question them about us."

Eren let out a humorless bark of laughter. "So you think we're _weak_ , is that it? Clearly you guys are a bunch of hypocrites. Omegas can get raped or tortured or killed just for _looking_ at an Alpha or a Beta! If I die, I want it to be doing something meaningful, not while underneath the boot of some _fucking_ Alpha. Hell, your own Omega is just a glorified slave, Mikasa!"

The moment the words came out of his mouth, Eren knew that they were a mistake. His anger had gotten the better of him, as it usually did. Mikasa's eyes hardened, now resembling her brother's harsh gray irises, and her hands balled into fists at her sides. Sasha abruptly stood up from her chair, causing it to scrape loudly against the floor, and glared at Eren. "I am _not_ a slave," she said, her voice trembling with anger. "Don't you _dare_ presume that I don't like being here! I _love_ Mikasa, and I love being the chef here. If I didn't want to cook, then I wouldn't. Just...how _dare_ you!" 

Sasha abruptly turned and ran out of the room, although not before Eren caught a glimpse of a tear sliding down her cheek. Mikasa gave Eren a dirty look before running out after her Omega, shutting the door firmly behind her. 

Eren let out a frustrated growl and slammed his fist against the bed. He hadn't meant to hurt Sasha, but the words had just tumbled out of his mouth in anger. Whether or not Eren was right about Sasha's status in the house, he honestly hadn't meant to make her cry. He briefly considered going after her and trying to apologize, but decided against it. After all, Eren had no idea where she might have gone, and even if he was able to find her, Mikasa might try to rip his limbs off for hurting her mate. 

_I need to get out of here,_ Eren thought. _Wings of Freedom or no, I have to find Armin._ Eren got to his feet and looked out the window. A wide lawn of neatly mowed grass stretched out in front of him, and Eren couldn't help but marvel at seeing so much bright, healthy grass in one place. In the Underworld, the ground was so inhospitable from being paved over and over again that anything that did manage to grow there was dry, brown, and usually thorny. Beyond the lawn was a row of thick, tall trees, and that was as far as Eren could see. There were no visual markers that could help him get his bearings - no roads, street signs, or other pathways in sight. Then again, having spent half his life living solely in the Trost Underworld, Eren probably wouldn't have known where he was even if he _had_ been able to find a road.

He swore angrily and flopped back against the bed. It was pointless. Forget getting to a road, Eren didn't even know where he was in the damn house. He'd probably just blunder into some Alpha or Beta who would drag him back to this room. Or he'd end up coming face-to-face with an angry Mikasa, and from her physique, Eren guessed that she'd be able to beat his ass without too much trouble. He felt a heavy sinking feeling in his stomach at how pointless his situation was right now. All he could do was wait for someone to come tell him what to do, the same lot every other Omega had in life simply by virtue of who they were. _Even here, nothing's changed._

Eren felt exhaustion wash over him as his body seemed to remember the stress of the last day. He didn't want to fall asleep, having already slept for such a long time already. But the bed was just so comfortable that Eren dozed off pretty much the moment his head touched the pillows.

**-x-**

Levi sighed as he went up the stairs that led to the spare room where he'd left yesterday afternoon. It was now evening, and he'd been delegated the job of patching up the wounds of the young Omega boy he'd picked up yesterday. Eren hadn't even been in the Ackerman house for a few hours when Levi had entered the second-floor living room and found Mikasa cuddling a crying Sasha close to her chest. Levi could tell just from looking at her that Mikasa was furious at Eren for hurting her Omega. And Connie, as Sasha's best friend, refused to go upstairs and doctor Eren. _"No offense, sir,"_ he'd said, _"but I'd probably end up punching him in the face if I went up there."_

_"Besides,"_ Mikasa had said, glowering at Levi, _"the bruise on the back of his head is from you, anyway."_

So now Levi was standing outside the guest room carrying a box of first-aid supplies, and feeling very apprehensive about going in. Which was stupid, Levi reminded himself, because it was his damn house. Yet he couldn't help but be reminded of his reaction to Eren yesterday...that fierce expression, those burning turquoise eyes. Levi's Alpha instincts had lit up like firecrackers upon seeing Eren. All he'd wanted to do was hold Eren close and fuck him into oblivion, claim him so that all of the lowlife Alphas and Betas there had known that Eren was _his_.

Levi shook his head slightly. _Come on, focus,_ he told himself. _You're an adult, not some horny teenager._ He put his ear against the door - and heard crying. It sounded muffled, so Eren was probably crying into a pillow. Levi groaned slightly, and laid his forehead against the door. He'd practically mothered two girls growing up, and yet he _still_ couldn't deal with crying. It made him feel awkward and useless.

Still, Levi supposed that Eren had reason to cry. He'd nearly been sold off as a whore yesterday, and had said that his friend had been bought by someone. Levi grimaced as he suddenly remembered the streaks of dirt around Eren's neck, and the fact that he hadn't bathed since arriving here. He shuddered at the thought of Eren's filthy body touching the clean sheets on that bed. Levi would have to wash them himself later.

He raised his fist and rapped on the door firmly. "Oi, brat. It's Levi. I'm coming in," he said, then took a deep breath and opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is really hard to write Mikasa when she isn't all about protecting Eren. She'll be his stalwart protector soon enough in this fic, but we have to get there first. ;)
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to leave kudos and comment. I appreciate it so much. You guys are the best. *smooch smooch* :D

**Author's Note:**

> well that happened.
> 
> Remember that updates will be sporadic, as I'm still in grad school and that takes up a lot of my time. Yet I decide to go ahead and write a new fic anyway. I have so many ideas and so little time. ;~;
> 
> Hope you enjoy, HaleYes!


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